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FTAA
Structure and Organization
FTAA is led and channeled by the ministers
responsible for foreign trade in the 34 countries. Each
ministerial meeting is preceded by a business forum as a
promotional tool for the active participation of the productive
and entrepreneurial sectors.
The FTAA structure has been determined by
its members. It assures a broad geographic representation
of the participating countries. This structure foresees
the rotation of the presidency, the headquarters of negotiations
and the presidents and vice presidents of the negotiating
groups, as well as of other committees and groups.
- The
Negotiation Presidency
rotates every 18 months. The following countries have
been designated successively as Presidents of the FTAA
process: Canada, Argentina, Ecuador, and Brazil and the
United States jointly.
- The
Ministers responsible for
Trade will be in charge of the final supervision
of the negotiations.
- The
Vice-Ministers in charge of Trade, who jointly form the
Trade Negotiation Committee
(TNC) play a decisive role in the administration of FTAA
negotiations. This Committee meets twice yearly, as a
minimum, in different countries.
- FTAA
Negotiating Groups are in charge of discussing
a variety of specific topics. These groups receive specific
mandates from the ministers and the TNC.
- Three
Committees are also included in these Negotiating Groups
within the negotiation framework.
- The
Consultative Group regarding Smaller Economies
follows the evolution of the negotiations by means of
evaluating the concerns, interests and needs of smaller
economies and making recommendations to the TNC.
-
The Committee of Government
Representatives regarding the participation of Civil Society
watches over the transparency of the negotiation process
and seeks the comprehension and support of the public
in general. It was also created to facilitate the participation
of the business community as well as that of worker groups,
environmental protection, academics and others.
- The
Joint Committee of experts from the public and private
sectors regarding Electronic Trade
is in charge of analyzing strategies aimed at extending
the benefits of the electronic trade market in the hemisphere
and deciding how to handle this matter within the negotiation
framework.
- Nine
Negotiating Groups
have been set up in the areas of Market Access, Services,
Investments, Public Sector Purchases, Settlement of Differences,
Agriculture, Intellectual Property Rights, Subsidies,
Anti-dumping and Countervailing Duties, and Competition
Policy. The Negotiating Groups meet regularly throughout
the year.
- An
ad hoc Group of Experts
was created in Toronto to inform the TNC of the implementation
of facilitation measures for business regarding Customs
matters.
A Tripartite Committee formed by the Inter
American Development Bank (IADB), the Organization of American
States (OAS) and the Economic Commission for Latin America
and the Caribbean of the United Nations (ECLAC) to provide
technical, analytical and financial support to the FTAA.
Negotiation
Headquarters
The negotiation headquarters work on a rotational basis.
The following host countries have been designated: United
States (Miami) from May 1998 to February 2001, and Panama
(Panama City) from March 2003 to December 2004.
The FTAA Administrative Secretary's Office
operates in the same headquarters as the meetings of the
negotiating groups.
Three Summits of Presidents of the Americas
have been held to date (Miami 1994, Santiago 1998 and Quebec
2001) as well as six ministerial meetings, six business
forums and multiple meetings held by the technical and work
teams as part of the preparatory and start of negotiation
phases.
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